Few moments in parenting are as fraught as preparing your kid for college. Let a trusted pro show you how it’s done.

Written for parents and families of college-bound students, Jon McGee’s Dear Parents is an essential tool you’ll need to navigate the complex and often emotional challenge of getting your daughter or son prepared for—and through—college. Organized chronologically, the book takes readers through the stages of childhood leading up to college, as well as the process of searching for and selecting a college. From the decisions you make during your child’s early years to the process of setting up their dorm room, this book provides parents with insights, wisdom, and guidance about college, college preparation, and choosing a college.

Letters written by college and educational professionals, all with children, frame and illuminate each chapter. Drawing on their personal and professional experience, these experts offer practical and sympathetic advice about preparing for college. The book concludes with insights about sending children off to college and the appropriate roles for parents as your children experience these important years. Undergirded by research but informed by on-the-ground insight, Dear Parents is designed to both engage and inform while demystifying the daunting and ever-changing process of entering college.

“If you’ve picked up this book, my guess is you don’t need convincing that there is a lifelong return from a college education. You want to understand the process better and you’d like to help your teen smartly navigate their choices. You picked wisely if that’s the case. . . . Jon McGee is a wonderful guide, shedding light on the mysterious process of applying to college while bringing much insight to the inevitable trade-offs.”—from the foreword by Chris Farrell, Marketplace

Jon McGee is the vice president for planning and strategy at the College of Saint Benedict and Saint John’s University. He is the author of Breakpoint: The Changing Marketplace for Higher Education. A father of four, he and his wife will have children in college continuously until 2027.